MAPACA

Mid-Atlantic Popular &
American Culture Association

The author offers a lens into Artsbridge, a program initially designed for Israeli and Palestinian youth. Focus is on the process of collaborative art-making between youth who live as enemies in societies plagued by prolonged conflict, resulting in emotional, psychological and often physical trauma. The hope is to offer evidence of the power of creative action on healing trauma and dissipating indoctrinated hatred of the “other.” A professional team of artists and therapists guide them through an intensive immersion into living, dialoguing and artmaking that allows for new ideas to evolve and new voices to speak through new creative visions.

This paper presents a close study of Artsbridge, an intercultural arts program, initially designed in 2008 for high school students from Israel and the Palestinian Territory, who have suffered trauma living in the midst of conflict. Having now expanded to include all youth imperiled by the constancy of war, this visionary initiative lives in 2018 as an immersive program run by a professional team of therapists, facilitators and artists and is hosted each summer by international campuses who believe in its world value.

We begin with a brief discussion on the findings of neuroscientists on the heightening of brain plasticity through art making and receiving, that strengthens resiliency and recovery in individuals suffering from protracted trauma.

The heart of this paper then explores the power of art making in the context of Artsbridge’s design modalities. Here teenagers living together, dialoguing and collaboratively making art begin to expand their sight, learning to see past tightly held narratives fueled by long held prejudice and distrust.

Finally, one hopes to offer evidence of the powerful effect of the creative act as student works speak to the generative capacities of the sensorium in activating empathy and tolerance for the “other.”